Automatic registration method and device for surgical robot

ABSTRACT

This invention concerns an automated registration method and device for a surgical robot enabling registration between a first three-dimensional location system comprising an optical distance sensor and a second three-dimensional location system comprising optical acquisition means. The method comprises:
         a first step of intraoperative registration between the first location system and data recorded on an anatomical surface of a patient and;   a second step of intraoperative registration of two three-dimensional location systems.       

     The second registration step is performed at the same time as the first registration step by detection, by the optical acquisition means, of at least one point of a point cloud acquired by the optical sensor during the first intraoperative registration.

This invention applies to the medical field and, more particularly, to the field of robotic-assisted surgery, typically used when high operating precision is required.

It concerns what is conventionally called registration, i.e. matching the registration frames of reference in space of the different elements, equipment, and tools that are involved in the operation (including the patient, or more specifically the region or regions of intervention on the patient). Yet more precisely, the invention relates to a method of automated registration between two three-dimensional location systems and a surgical robotic-assisted device implementing said method.

This registration is performed during the intraoperative phase, in practice at the start of the operation, just before the surgical procedure begins. Said registration is vitally important in ensuring an acceptable degree of precision of the automated operating procedures, since it results in all of the instruments used as well as the intervention area, unless directly calibrated on the same frame of reference, being in any event connected by transfer matrices from one frame of reference to the other. In this particular case, the transfer matrices, calculated during the registration phase, enable each system of coordinates relating to a frame of reference to be transformed and therefore be intelligible in another frame of reference.

The idea behind the registration procedure is to unify the working reference of all of the parts involved in the robotic-assisted surgical operation, which means that each device can exploit in real time positioning measurements, if necessary taken in a frame of reference that is not its own, for example connected to other instruments used during the surgical operation. The problem arises from the fact that several separate frames of reference coexist. An example of these reference points includes the reference point of measurements deriving from a medical examination, the reference point of a surgical-assistance robot, the reference point of an optical navigator and the reference point of the anatomical region to be treated on the body of the patient lying on the operating table. They are all to be taken into consideration in order to work in an approved manner.

Registration requires measurements and, in this field, is based mainly on optical imaging techniques since it chiefly involves locating anatomical surfaces of the patient around the operation area. Before any other processing takes place, they must be matched up with the imaging data resulting from medical examinations performed by conventional means (radiological examinations with CT scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), etc.) so that the surgeon's forecast operation objectives can be implemented in the reality of the operating theatre, integrating the different instruments required and their locations and respective reference points. This is a first registration that is then implemented: more precisely, in the configurations of surgical operations using assistance robots which will be described later by way of example, the assistance robot equipped with surgical tools or instruments to assist the surgeon must therefore undergo such a registration procedure. This involves the acquisition of a point cloud of the anatomical surface, or at least a few points of a surface of a patient, on the basis of which it is possible to draw a comparison between, on the one hand, the reference point of the robot on which the instruments depend and, on the other, the frame of reference used for the description of the part of the patient's body concerned.

In practice, it is a surface scan that is performed during said first registration procedure, enabling the acquisition of the targeted anatomical surface. The system then creates a three-dimensional representation in the form of a digital model, formed from a point cloud, which if necessary is processed (selection of significant points) with a view to drawing a comparison with the data resulting from radiological or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) examinations on the same patient that have be pre-recorded and from which it is possible to obtain surface parameters suitable for the comparison and therefore the desired registration.

A surgical-assistance robot locates the instruments that it carries using the information from encoders of each of its axes, in a reference point usually defined at its base and aligned along the first axis. It in fact behaves as a three-dimensional location system. Since the surgical actions in which it is used (brain surgery, operations on the vertebral column) require extreme precision in positioning the instruments and in surgical procedures, it must if necessary be capable of adapting to the movements of the anatomical surfaces on which it is used. These may, for example, be movements of the vertebral column resulting from the patient's respiration, or possible head movements during a neurosurgical operation. It needs to adapt, in real time, the position of the tools in relation to the proposed operation targets and so constantly receive information on any movements of said targets.

An optical navigator, which is another three-dimensional location system, is to this end more and more often associated with surgical-assistance robots in current operation protocols, a navigator that operates according to its own reference point and must of course also be based on the reference points relating to the patient on the one hand and the surgical robot on the other.

On this assumption there is an optical navigator as well as the surgical-assistance robot, once the patient is positioned on an operating table and immobilized in relation thereto, he is placed as stated so as to match up with the reference point that relates to him and that relates to the surgical-assistance robot during a first registration. At this stage, the optical navigator has not yet received any information regarding the position of the robot and that of the anatomical surfaces involved in the operation in progress. A second registration operation must therefore be performed in order to connect the three reference points that exist in this case.

The problem, an old one, is less of an issue now that efforts are made to subjugate surgical robots to navigators capable of detecting body movements likely to distort the position of the surgical instruments and tools. In this regard, at least two types of methods are known that allow the anatomical surfaces to be identified in the robot's frame of reference, and to harmonize or in any case allow the inter-location of the robot's frames of reference, the anatomical surfaces of the patient being operated on and the optical navigator.

A first type of known method of relative location between a surgical-assistance robot and an optical navigator, described in document US 2012/109150, involves on the one hand a robotic arm equipped with an optical target (for example reflective spheres) and having six degrees of freedom, and on the other an optical navigator equipped with optical detection means. After a first registration involving the robot and anatomical surfaces, a second registration has the objective of strictly matching the frames of reference of the robot and navigator. The robotic arm carries for this purpose at least one target of known geometry, placed on the tool or the instrument equipping the arm, and which carries for example reflective spheres. The optical navigator can then precisely locate the instruments equipped with an optical target thanks to the information on the position of the reflective spheres, obtained by triangulation from information detected by an optical acquisition system equipping the navigator.

The operating method for registration is as follows: the robotic arm is moved so as to assume a certain number of predetermined fixed positions (six, for example) framing the working space. An acquisition of the coordinates of each position is taken both in the frame of reference of the robotic arm, by recording the positions of the tool in the reference point of the robot, and in the frame of reference of the optical navigator, after triangulation. This acquisition generates a cloud of coordinates in each frame of reference, and computer processing allows the frames of reference of the robot and optical navigator to be strictly matched by calculating a transfer matrix of the coordinates of the point cloud of one frame of reference to the other.

This type of method of relative location has the drawback of requiring two different steps of acquisition, on the one hand to locate the anatomical surfaces of the patient in the reference point of the robot and on the other to calculate the correspondence between the reference point of the robotic arm and the reference point of the navigator, which results in an increase in operation time. It then requires the robot to be placed in a succession of specific positions in relation to the optical navigator, and consequently involves some movements creating a risk of collision due to the customary clutter in operating theatres. Lastly, it requires additional equipment, namely the reflective-sphere target or targets.

Another registration method category, described in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,262, performs an acquisition of the anatomical surfaces of the patient with the aid of an optical pointer (laser) equipped with at least one optical target, manipulated by an operator in order to target a succession of points of the anatomical surface affected by or near the surgical operation. The operator scans this anatomical surface with the laser transmitter (and within it identifies approximately 200 points). During this scanning, an optical navigator performs an acquisition of the positions identified so as to build a point cloud in its own frame of reference. A registration step is then performed to match the frame of reference of the optical navigator to that of the patient, on the basis of medical images acquired beforehand by conventional imaging techniques (scans or MRI).

This second type of method, which is not based on a robot/navigator registration, has the drawback of lacking precision and not having a high degree of reproducibility. The acquisition of the anatomical surfaces depends in fact on a human operator and his expertise. Moreover, it requires an additional device, the optical pointer used by the operator for his manual scan.

This invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks and problems and proposes a method of registration between two three-dimensional location systems that is simpler than its precursors. This simplification affects the method itself, by the elimination of steps, but it also has its origin in the corresponding elimination of the additional equipment used in the methods of the prior art. The reliability of the method obtained is considerably improved.

The registration method of the invention, usually implemented between two three-dimensional location systems used in robotic surgery in order to match up location data from separate frames of reference belonging to each system, is applied to a first three-dimensional location system comprising an optical distance sensor and a second three-dimensional location system comprising optical acquisition means.

It is implemented by performing a first intraoperative registration step between the first location system and data recorded on an anatomical surface of a patient, obtained from the surface using a technique described in document WO 2012/017167, involving the matching of at least one point of a cloud point acquired during an intraoperative phase on said surface by means of an optical distance sensor and one point of a collection of points of said data, and it comprises a second step of intraoperative registration of both three-dimensional location systems.

Lastly, the said second step of registration is performed at the same time as the first step of registration by detection, by the optical acquisition means, of at least one point of the cloud point acquired by the optical sensor during the first intraoperative registration.

The innovation lies chiefly in the fact that the method allows the specific registration phase between the robot and the optical navigator to be skipped, like examples of three-dimensional location systems, by directly using the available data deriving from the registration performed between the robot and the patient on the basis of a surface method. In other words, the two registrations are combined by using the same starting data, which results in reducing the operating time and eliminating the manipulation and movement of equipment due to the existence of targets. The benefits of the innovation are therefore multiple, both in terms of methodology and as regards the equipment required.

Preferably, according to the invention, the second registration step involves calculating a transfer matrix between the two frames of reference of the two three-dimensional location systems.

Moreover, according to one possibility, the optical distance sensor of the first three-dimensional location system can be a laser telemeter projecting a laser beam onto the anatomical surface of the patient. The optical acquisition means of the second three-dimensional location system may consist in at least one camera for the acquisition of optical signals in the form of light points projected onto a surface.

The method can in practice be applied to all systems equipped with a three-dimensional location device comprising a laser, and a three-dimensional system based on detection cameras. In this regard, the optical distance sensor and at least one means of acquisition of optical signals are tuned on the same wavelengths.

Preferably, according to the invention, the wavelengths used can be in the infrared range, although clearly this choice can be altered depending on the technical characteristics required. More particularly, according to a preferential application that has so far been taken as an example but is in no way limiting as regards the invention, the first three-dimensional system can be a surgical-assistance robot and the second three-dimensional location system can be an optical navigator. The invention also concerns a surgical-assistance robotic medical device such that the first three-dimensional location system can be a surgical-assistance robot and the second three-dimensional location system can be an optical navigator.

More precisely, it emerges from the previous description that the surgical-assistance robot can then be equipped with a robotic arm the free end of which is equipped with a laser-telemeter optical distance sensor. Preferably, the surgical-assistance robot (2) has six degrees of freedom.

Similarly, the optical navigator can be equipped with optical signal acquisition means of the infrared camera type.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of two embodiments, shown in the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete operation device used for an operation on the head, for example the brain; and

FIG. 2 represents a perspective view of an equivalent operation device but for a surgical operation performed on the vertebral column.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the patient lies on his back (FIG. 1) or stomach (FIG. 2) on an operating table (1), near a surgical-assistance robot (2) that comprises a movable box on wheels surmounted by a robotic arm (3) the free end of which can be equipped with at least one surgical tool or at least one optical distance sensor (4). The robot shown in FIG. 1 is provided for neurosurgical operations, whereas the one shown in FIG. 2 instead concerns surgery on the vertebral column. Moreover, it has an assistance screen (5) allowing the operator, in this case the surgeon, to view the operation in progress and more precisely the work of the tool fitted on the robotic arm (3). The end of the robotic arm (3) also comprises a laser telemeter operating for example in the infrared range. It is moved by the robot (2) over the patient's face (in the example shown in FIG. 1) and more generally over the anatomical area that is to be scanned by the optical distance sensor, identifies a succession of points forming a cloud point that the system continuously records on the surface of the skin in order to perform the first registration between the reference point relating to the patient (deriving from recorded images) and the reference point reported to the robot (2). For an operation on the brain, these points are located on the patient's temples, nose and forehead. In the case of an operation on the vertebral column, the recorded points are located near the area to be operated upon.

This point cloud, in practice constituting a surface, is obtained in the reference point of the robot (2). A specific algorithm searches for the best possible match between the two models resulting from the examination and acquired with the optical sensor of the robot (2). An identified transformation then makes it possible to pass from one reference point to another with a known precision. This is the first registration required by the method of the invention.

An optical navigator (10) also movable on wheels completes the operating device, comprising at least one means for the acquisition of optical signals (11) and one screen (12) to display the data from the sensors, at least some of which can be located in the intervention zone. This screen (12) allows for example a virtual tool to be displayed on an intraoperative imaging scan, by means of which the surgeon sees in real time the movement of his tool, providing valuable help in the case of three-dimensional (3D) navigation. According to an important function performed by the three-dimensional optical navigator (10), any movements of the anatomical area undergoing operation, particularly movement due to the patient's respiration in the case of operations on the vertebral column, are monitored in real time by appropriate sensors monitored by the navigator (10), and the moves made by the robotic arm (3) of the robot (2) follow said movements.

The point cloud created by the laser telemeter connected to the arm (3) of the robot (2) referred to above, is formed by a laser beam operating in the infrared range, whose point of contact with the surface moves over said surface of the patient in question and is detected by the infrared cameras of the navigator. The navigator then acquires in real time a point cloud equivalent to that recorded in the same time by the robot. The second registration of the method of the invention is consequently performed on the basis of the same point cloud recorded simultaneously by the robot (2) and by the optical navigator (10). Each recording is however sent to each separate frame of reference. Subsequent computer processing allows the transfer matrix between the two frames of reference to be calculated.

The method of the invention thus in the end allows an immediate and automatic calculation of the second registration on the basis of the same points cloud recorded in the two reference points of the robot (2) on the one hand and of the optical navigator (10) on the other, and which was originally assigned to the calculation of the first registration.

A separate registration between the reference points of the robot (2) and navigator (10) respectively, as exists in the methods of the prior art, is eliminated, which saves a considerable amount of time. Lastly, the automated approach of the solution described guarantees the repeatability of the method, regardless of any expertise of an operator.

One of the additional advantages of this solution is that it also allows the registration between the reference point relating to the patient and the reference point of an optical navigator (10) to be calculated directly and automatically, via computer processing.

No additional step or any additional equipment is required since only processing by the system is involved.

The examples described with the aid of the figures are not exhaustive as regards the invention, which applies to any registration based on the acquisition of surface data of anatomical areas, or reference surfaces, using a laser optical device. 

1. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems used in robotic surgery in order to match up location data from separate frames of reference belonging to each system, a first three-dimensional location system comprising an optical distance sensor and a second three-dimensional location system comprising an optical acquisition means, said method comprising: a first step of intraoperative registration between the first location system and data recorded on an anatomical surface of a patient by matching at least one point of a cloud point acquired during an intraoperative phase on said surface by means of an optical distance sensor and one point of a collection of points of said data, and; a second step of intraoperative registration of both three-dimensional location systems, wherein said second step of registration is performed at the same time as the first step of intraoperative registration, by the optical acquisition means, of at least one point of a point cloud acquired by the optical sensor during the first intraoperative registration.
 2. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems according to the preceding claim, wherein the second registration step involves calculating a transfer matrix between the two frames of reference of the two three-dimensional location systems (2, 10).
 3. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems according to claim 1, wherein the optical distance sensor of the first three-dimensional location system is a laser telemeter projecting a laser beam onto the anatomical surface of the patient.
 4. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems according to claim 1, wherein the optical acquisition means of the second three-dimensional location system (10) consists in at least one camera for the acquisition of optical signals in the form of light points projected onto a surface.
 5. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems according to claim 1, wherein the optical distance sensor and the optical acquisition means are tuned on the same wavelengths.
 6. Automated registration method between two three-dimensional location systems according to claim 5, wherein the wavelengths are in the infrared range.
 7. Surgical-assistance robotic medical device implementing a registration method according to claim 1, wherein the first three-dimensional location system is a surgical-assistance robot and the second three-dimensional location system is an optical navigator.
 8. Surgical-assistance robotic medical device according to claim 7, wherein the surgical-assistance robot (2) is equipped with a robotic arm (3) the free end of which is equipped with a laser-telemeter optical distance sensor.
 9. Surgical-assistance robotic medical device according to claim 8, wherein the surgical-assistance robot (2) has six degrees of freedom.
 10. Surgical-assistance robotic medical device according to claim 7, wherein the optical navigator is equipped with optical signal acquisition means of the infrared camera type.
 11. An automated registration system comprising: a first three-dimensional location system including an optical distance sensor, the first three-dimensional location system configured to record data on an anatomical surface of a patient and register a first frame of reference by matching at least one point of a point cloud acquired during an intraoperative phase on the anatomical surface using the optical distance sensor; and a second three-dimensional location system including an optical sensor configured to concurrently acquire at least one point of the point cloud acquired during the intraoperative phase using the first three-dimensional location system, wherein the at least one point of the point cloud is is used to register the second three-dimensional location system to the first frame of reference. 